Ponder each point slowly, and express your sentiments in a short prayer:
11. Live each day of the retreat in the Present Moment: We can only know God in the present moment. God's will is revealed to us in the here and now. St. Ignatius asks us to adhere steadfastly to this rule of the Spiritual life: Stay in the present moment. When doing each of the Weeks of the retreat, we are to give them our undivided attention without distracting ourselves about what is to come in the following week(s).
"God's will is revealted to us in the here and now."
Dear Father, thank You for this understanding to live each moment of our lives in the presence. My will is projected into the future or my fears are projected. You are the one who knows what is coming. May I not preoccupy my mind with what ifs or words to say and be attentive in the moment. Amen.
12. Satisfaction with an honest effort: In prayer we can offer God our honest and wholehearted effort, regardless of the results. Many times our prayer will not have the desired results. However, we can always try to do our best, by adhering to the stipulated amount of time we have allotted to prayer. In times of difficulty, St. Ignatius advises us to add a few extra minutes to our stipulated time; and to make sure that we remain satisfied with our effort which is pleasing to God.
Thank You Father for me being present with you in this time, it passes quickly even though my mind wanders. It was a whole hearted effort that takes time to develop. You reveal Yourself when we quiet our minds and this requires all the time we have allowed.
13. Resist desolation by extending time of Prayer: In time of consolation, it is easy to spend the allotted time for prayer. In time of desolation and dryness it is difficult. St. Ignatius encourages us to oppose the tendency in desolation to shorten the time of prayer. Instead, we need to remain in prayer a little more than the stipulated amount of time, in order to resist and even overthrow the evil one's influence on us.
In periods of desolation we do not feel what we once did, spending time without the feeling reveals God's grace to you. He is always there even though you are distracted or feeling nothing. Being tested builds trust, is it God you desire or the feeling of God(consolations)
Dear Father, I thank You for my periods of dryness and not feeling. I thank You for these lessons that you must experience to understand. The desert reveals many secrets and we all must go through it, in our dryness you are carrying us as long as we are going together and I haven't avoided it. May I always give you time even when not feeling it. Amen.
14. Caution in time of consolation: In time of consolation, we are in fervor and much devotion. We will be inclined to do great things for God and thereby underestimate our penchant for self-glorification. We run the risk of being hasty in making any promise or vow. In time of consolation, St. Ignatius suggests caution and patience. It does not make sense to rush in where angels fear to tread.
Father, temper my response when I am not fully aware of all the circumstances. May I not be blind to the total commitment when I enter in and avoid all penchants for glory. Keep me humble in our endeavors, I trust in You to guide me.
15. Direct Action of the Holy Spirit is best: St. Ignatius is offering an important rule of spiritual direction, namely that the Holy Spirit is the Director. The director's task is to get the exercitant to know directly from the Holy Spirit what God's will is for them. As #15 puts it, "It is more suitable and much better that the Creator and Lord in person communicate Himself to the devout soul in quest of the divine will."
The goal of spiritual direction is to develop the relationship with God, so the path forward is directly from God not you. This can be confusing for someone if all they want is answers. The answers come directly from God, in this they learn to recognize God's voice in their lives and learn to trust God in all things. This is known as Peace.
Dear Father, I thank You for real life lessons, for watching another find this Peace in their life as You have given me. I thank You for our time together this morning, I thank You for what this day holds and I pray for a friend going into rehab, may he find peace in his life so he can better serve you. Amen.
What is God saying to me: Enjoy your day, we are good.
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